Israel Carries Out First Targeted Gaza Strike Since August 3

Israel carried out its first announced targeted strike in Gaza since August 3 on Wednesday, hitting a man it identified as a Hamas commander in Beit Lahiya and injuring four people amid international pressure to halt such attacks as part of a US-backed peace plan.

The Israeli military said the strike targeted a Hamas commander in northern Gaza. It did not provide details about the man or say whether he was killed. The strike came as Hamas has accepted a plan to decommission its weapons, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the proposal earlier this week, saying Hamas must fully disarm before Israel accepts the terms.

Officials involved in the peace efforts have urged Israel to halt targeted strikes as part of efforts to advance the agreement. Officials at Shifa and Nasser hospitals said four injured people were brought in on Wednesday. Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported 45 deaths since August 1.

Three Pakistanis Killed in Houthi Ship Attack

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar condemned a Houthi attack on a ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Wednesday, saying three Pakistani nationals were killed and another was wounded. The attack on Tuesday killed six people in total.

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed by Iran and a US blockade of Iranian ports in place, attention has shifted to the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an important alternative route for oil shipments from the Gulf. The attack came amid increased Houthi strikes against government forces in Yemen, oil facilities in neighbouring Saudi Arabia and shipping in the Red Sea.

Trump Claims US Has Control of Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday reiterated his claim that the United States has “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz. “I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!” Trump said, referring to the US blockade of Iranian ports.

The strait, through which about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil passed before the war, has been largely closed to other traffic since the conflict began because of Iranian attacks on shipping.

Those attacks have continued despite the blockade and US strikes. Iran has said the strait will reopen only if the United States meets a list of demands, including lifting the blockade.

Pakistan Seeks to Revive US-Iran Talks

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam in Islamabad on Wednesday as Pakistan seeks to restart peace negotiations between Iran and the United States. The meeting came a day after Pakistan sent Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to Tehran for talks with Iran’s top leaders.

An interim agreement reached in mid-June to end the fighting is due to expire on Monday. The ceasefire collapsed last month after the United States and Iran exchanged strikes for more than two weeks before pausing the fighting.

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Wednesday that the June agreement remains valid and that its deadline could be extended. “We are not closing the chapter,” Andrabi told reporters.

Turkey Condemns Colombia’s Golan Heights Recognition

Turkey condemned Colombia’s decision to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, saying the move would “legitimize Israel’s occupation” of the territory. Colombia became only the second country to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights shortly after conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in on Friday.

Israel captured the territory from Syria during the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981. The United States was the first country to recognise the territory as Israeli, doing so during Trump’s first term and reversing longstanding US policy. The United Nations recognises the Golan Heights as Syrian territory.

Kuwait Says It Foiled Planned Attack

Kuwait’s Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that authorities had thwarted a “terrorist plot” targeting an unspecified facility after detaining a Kuwaiti citizen affiliated with Islamic State shortly before he allegedly planned to carry out an attack.

The ministry said the man had received training in making explosives and operating drones for use in the planned attack. It said a vital facility had been targeted but provided no further details.